The Court of Camelot
by Starsandsparkles
Summary: Split into three parts; Part 1 is 'Being Queen', Part 2 is 'Lyones and Lynette' and part 3 is yet to be named. In part 1 Mithian and Gwen are both coming to terms with their new queenships, but there's trouble brewing ahead. By the way - I don't entirely understand the book cover rules, so I've used a picture that I took myself at the castle, to be on the safe side with copyright.
1. Decision

_**The Court of Camelot**_

**Part One: Being Queen**

**Chapter One**

Lyones entered the queen's chambers. Her younger sister Lynette was sat on the floor, hemming a luxurious purple velvet gown. Queen Guinevere was sitting behind her deep mahogany desk, carefully embroidering one of the voluminous over-sleeves.

"The king needs you in the council chambers, Gwen." Lyones said, crossing the room to kneel on the floor next to Lynette.

"Is it urgent?" Gwen asked her maid

"Not really. I can do that sleeve if you like, though." Lyones offered, inspecting Lynette's perfect needlework.

"That's be wonderful, Lyones." Gwen replied. Lyones got back up and went over to Gwen's desk to take the sleeve from her. Gwen gave it to her and slowly got up, folding her hands over her swollen belly.

**xXx**

Arthur was worried. The cause of this was a letter he had just received; an announcement that the King of Nemeth had passed away and Princess Mithian had become queen. This in itself was fine, but it was what came next that was making him anxious. Since Nemeth, Mithian's kingdom, was allied with Camelot, it was customary and polite to invite her to visit. But now that Gwen was married to him and _having his child, _things could get quite awkward…

The council chamber doors opened and Guinevere entered. Every time Arthur saw her he felt a little burst of joy; her sheer beauty, which had always been there, seeing her clothed in the finery that she deserved and, most recently, her swollen belly, which had made an appearance about two months ago.

"Arthur" Guinevere said "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes" Arthur replied, leaving his seat to pull one out for her "How are you?" he questioned. He hated the idea of her suffering, and although she never complained, Merlin had informed him that pregnancy could be considerably uncomfortable (apparently, Gaius had been teaching him about science. How he managed to get Merlin to learn anything, Arthur had no idea.)

"Arthur, I'm fine." Guinevere assured him

"Are you completely certain?" Arthur pressed

"Arthur." Guinevere sighed, exasperated. "What did you call me to discuss?"

"Well, um…" Arthur felt nervous and tongue-tied. How was he going to tell her this?

**xXx**

Gaius examined the contents of the phial and compared it with the illustration in the book. It looked like it needed a little more willow bark. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Gaius called, placing the phial on the table and turning around. Gwen entered Gaius' chambers.

"Hello, Gwen. Is your back aching again? I've almost finished your medicine."

"No, it's alright at the moment. But thank you anyway…I was actually looking for Merlin?"

"I think Arthur sent him to muck out the stables."

"Thank you Gaius, see you later."

"Goodbye, Gwen"

**xXx**

Gwen paused by the stable doors, cursing the trailing hem of her silk gown.

"Merlin?" she called, poking her head through the door

"Gwen!" a voice came from behind her. Gwen yelped and span around to see Merlin grinning at her.

"Merlin, you frightened me!" she scolded

"You're made of sterner stuff than that, Gwen!" Merlin laughed. "Anyway, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, um…" Gwen glanced around at the busy stables "Can we speak somewhere more private?"

**xXx**

"Ok, Gwen. What's wrong?" Merlin said when they were safely sitting in Gwen's old home. Over the years Merlin had sat across this table from Gwen many times. Although she was now queen, some things never change.

"While I was in exile, Arthur…was engaged. To a princess. What happened? In detail, start to finish." Merlin blinked. How did Gwen suddenly know about Mithian? It wasn't as if it had exactly been a _secret_, but…no one had ever seen any reason to tell her.

"Merlin?" Gwen prompted. So Merlin swallowed his questions and began.

**xXx**

"So in the end Arthur just loved you too much." Merlin finished. Gwen looked down at her lap.

"Now, Gwen. Tell me how you knew about Mithian."

"Mithian is now Queen Mithian…so she is, maybe, coming to visit."

"_Maybe_ coming to visit?"

"If I'm comfortable with it…" Gwen made up her mind. "Which I am"

**xxxXxxx**

_**So, I hope you liked that! I really liked Mithian, and I really wanted her to come back! Thanks for reading so far. Now – **__**SPOILERS FOR SERIES 5 AHEAD STOP READING NOW IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN SPOILER FREE!**__** I started planning this when I found out that Mithian will be returning in series 5 and got really excited about it. Obviously, it hasn't manifested until quite a while later, and since then we've had quite a few more spoilers. This story is set about 6 months after Arthur and Gwen's wedding. This is ignoring the fact that Mordred is a knight, that Morgana was imprisoned, and all other spoilers we've had for series 5 other than the return of Mithian. And obviously Gwen isn't pregnant in series 5, and she doesn't have children, but she is pregnant here. Phew! Okay, thanks people – and since it's the summer holidays and the weather in England is not great, the next chapter'll be on its way pretty soon!**_


	2. Meetings and Greetings

_**The Court of Camelot**_

**Being Queen**

**Chapter Two**

"You look lovely!" Lyones proclaimed

Gwen anxiously examined her reflection. Lyones and Lynette had spent hours preparing her for the reception of Queen Mithian, but something seemed to be missing…

"Hmmm…I'm not so sure" Gwen worried

"It needs some earrings" Lynette murmured

"That's it! Of course!" Gwen rummaged through her jewellery box until she found some suitable earrings. She slipped them in and turned back to the mirror.

"Perfect" Lynette decided

**xXx**

The party paused at the castle gates to be checked by the guards. Mithian swallowed. The letter inviting her to Camelot had been signed by two people: King Arthur _and his Queen_, Guinevere. Was this the blacksmith's daughter he had spoken of? Or someone else entirely? Either way, she had trumped Mithian.

The guards waved them on and the party rode on into the castle. As they crossed the drawbridge Mithian nervously smoothed her hair and gown.

And then they were clattering into the courtyard, where a welcome party stood on the steps to greet them. Mithian's gaze swept over the various courtiers and knights and paused briefly on an unchanged Arthur before coming to rest on the woman next to him.

Her glittering gold crown rested atop a cascade of dark curls. Her skin was a golden shade of caramel, and her eyes were like jewels. Her blue dress shimmered like the ocean; her hands were clasped over her round belly.

Mithian gasped. She was pregnant. And she was beautiful.

**xXx**

Gwen's eyes were fixed on the regal looking woman in the centre of the party. She was adorned in glittering jewellery, and her dress was a deep shade of green that perfectly complimented her rich brunette locks. A fur trimmed cloak fell from her shoulders in delicate folds. Unlike Gwen, who felt self-conscious dressed in her finery, Queen Mithian wore her shining crown with ease. Gwen bit her lip. She was a true royal. And she was beautiful.

**xXx**

Arthur awkwardly cleared his throat and stepped forwards.

"Queen Mithian, it is a pleasure to see you again"

"Indeed, my lord" Was Mithian's guarded reply. She rode her horse to the base of the steps and gracefully dismounted a few feet away from Arthur.

"My lady" Arthur took her proffered hand and bent down to kiss it. "May I introduce you to my wife, Queen Guinevere?"

Gwen slowly descended the stairs, coming to a halt next to Arthur.

"It is an honour to meet you at last, Queen Mithian." Gwen said, smiling shyly.

Mithian returned the smile. "And you, Queen Guinevere"

**xXx**

"This is Sir Elyan," Arthur told Mithian, leading her over to a handsome dark skinned knight "and Sir Percival" he indicated the tall, muscly knight next to him. The two knights bowed gracefully.

"Welcome back to Camelot, my lady" Elyan said.

"Ah, yes – I remember you two: two of Arthur's closest friends." Mithian stated matter-of-factly. Arthur and his knights looked a little surprised, but before they could say anything -

"You're looking lovely tonight, Mithian, if I may be so bold!" said Gwaine as he strutted over with a goblet in his hand and a grimacing Leon in tow.

"Gwaine! Show some manners!" Arthur exclaimed

"Sorry, he's had a lot to drink" Leon apologised wearily.

"Already?" Mithian asked, eyebrows raised.

"Believe me, he's only just begun" Elyan said with a chuckle

"Gwaine is…" Arthur sighed "T is Sir Leon." He indicated the bearded, blue eyed knight behind Gwaine.

"Yes, your right hand man. It's lovely to see you again, Sir Leon." Mithian smiled. Leon opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the tipsy Gwaine.

"And it's _more_ than lovely to see you, my dear Mithian. Actually, I've a suggestion –"

"Gwaine!" Arthur snapped

"Sorry, sorry" Gwaine said, grinning

"We'll take him away." Leon said. Him and Elyan took an arm each and led a giggling Gwaine back across the banquet hall.

"I do apologise, my lady. I don't-" Arthur stopped midsentence, his eyes fixed on something over Percival's shoulder. Mithian and Percival turned around to see Gwen entering the hall. She was wearing a glowing gold dress made of many layers of chiffon, with off the shoulder sleeves like filmy wings. The sight was breathtaking. Arthur was transfixed, his eyes filled with adoration.

"She looks lovely" Mithian observed

"She does" Percival agreed. Arthur was still staring.

"Is he always like this?" Mithian whispered to Percival

"When Gwen's around? Yes." Percival answered. Mithian grimaced at the thought of spending two whole weeks with the loved up pair. "You'll get used to it."

Gwen noticed them and went gliding over.

"Guinevere…" Arthur trailed off. He cleared his throat and began again "You look beautiful." Mithian and Percival nodded their agreement.

"Thank you." Gwen said shyly "Shall we start eating now?" she asked, eager to have the attention off her.

"Of course!" Arthur agreed. Arthur announced that the feast was to begin, and everybody took their seats. As the guest of honour, Mithian was seated next to the king and queen. The servants entered with magnificent platters piled high with mouth-watering delicacies.

"Merlin!" Mithian exclaimed as he approached the top table with a tureen of soup.

"My lady." Merlin responded, smiling "Nice to see you. Vegetable soup?"

"Yes, please. You're…still a servant?" Mithian seemed perplexed

"Of course, he's my manservant" Arthur said, equally confused "Why wouldn't he be…?"

"…I don't know. Forget it." Mithian backpedalled furiously. "Who made your dress, my lady?" she asked, turning to Guinevere.

Arthur looked at Merlin quizzically. Merlin shrugged.

"Soup?"

**xXx**

Arthur and Guinevere were strolling back to their chambers, hand in hand.

"So, what do you think?" Arthur asked

"Of what?"

"Mithian!"

"Well, she's lovely, isn't she? Practically perfect" Gwen said, without a hint of bitterness or sarcasm.

"Guinevere, you are such a kind person…I shouldn't have worried that you two wouldn't get along." Arthur leaned in to kiss her tenderly. "Why don't you come to my chambers tonight?" he suggested seductively.

**xxxXxxx**

_**I've had this amazing image of Gwen's golden dress in my head for quite some time now, but I'm a rubbish artist, so I slipped it in here instead of drawing it (which is what I would've liked to do). This chapter is very description heavy, so I am sorry if it bored you. Things are going to speed up soon (and there's going to be some action, too!) but for now, what can I say? I love writing poetic descriptions. Thank you for reading and reviewing, it means a lot to me. The next chapter should be coming soon!**_


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